1 TIMOTHY LESSON 2
We will begin this lesson by repeating I Timothy 1:8 "But we know
that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully;" I Timothy 1:9
"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for
the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for
unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers,
for manslayers,"
If everyone lived a righteous life, there would be no need for
laws. The law is actually given to protect the righteous from the
ungodly. The law, known as the law of Moses, is possibly spoken of
here. There are over 600 laws and ordinances that were given by God to
His people to help them live productive lives while living in a
society of varied people. Many of these laws are dietary, judicial,
religious, etc. They are all given for the benefit of mankind. I would
possibly call them guidelines for living. If all mankind knew God and
conformed to His will, there would be no need for laws. Laws are to
convict those who have transgressed the will of God. The righteous man
lives within the will of God, and there is no law against that. The
sad thing is, that while we are in the flesh, we cannot live totally
without sin. All mankind has sinned and come short of the glory of
God. The penalty for sin is death. The difference is, that the
righteous have been made righteous in Jesus, our sin is done away with
on the cross of Jesus. All who have not accepted Jesus as their
Saviour, are still living in their sin.
I Timothy 1:10 "For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves
with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if
there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;"
In verse 9 and 10, we see a list of things that are displeasing
to God. People who commit these sins are breaking the law. The penalty
for this type sin is death. The only way to avoid paying the penalty
of death for these sins, is to accept Jesus Christ as your substitute
for your sin, and accept His righteousness in exchange. I could go
into the meaning of these sins, but really all things displeasing to
God are sin. "Sound doctrine" would be doing things the way God
intended in the first place. People who remain in the sins listed
above are headed for eternal damnation.
I Timothy 1:11 "According to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, which was committed to my trust."
The "glorious gospel" {good news} is that we can obtain
forgiveness for one, or all, of these sins, by accepting Jesus Christ
as Saviour and Lord. This message had been intrusted to Paul to give
to the Gentile world. Paul is trying to say, that the message he
brought was not his message, but the message God had entrusted him
with.
I Timothy 1:12 "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath
enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the
ministry;"
Paul feels so greatly privileged, because Jesus sought him out
for salvation. I personally believe that Paul really thought himself
to be doing the right thing when he was persecuting the Christians.
Jesus knew the heart of Paul. He turned Paul around on the road to
Damascus and made Paul a believer in Christ. Paul did not go into the
ministry, Jesus put him in the ministry.
I Timothy 1:13 "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor,
and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did [it] ignorantly in
unbelief."
Paul had not realized he was blaspheming. He felt that he was
doing God a favor, when he persecuted the Christians. Paul did not do
these things after his eyes were opened to who Jesus was. He did them
before he realized who Jesus was. We are all like Paul, before we come
to the knowledge of who Jesus is and accept Him as our Saviour. We may
not have committed the same sin, but we are guilty of sin. The main
thing that Paul is saying here, and that we must do as well, is our
life should be transformed when we are saved. We must become a new
creature in Christ. Those sins must be part of our past, and not of
our future.
I Timothy 1:14 "And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant
with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
"Grace", as I have stated before, is unmerited favor. None of us
deserve to be saved. The only reason we are saved, is because Jesus
loved us enough to die as our substitute for our sins. The only thing
we have to do with being saved, and the only thing Paul had to do with
being saved, was to believe. Ephesians 2:5 "Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;)" Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:" All of this faith
and loved was wrapped up in Jesus on the cross.
I Timothy 1:15 "This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
whom I am chief."
The word, that acceptation was translated from, means acceptance.
Then this means, the message is worth us accepting it. We must receive
this message. He gives us the gift of salvation, but we must accept it
for it to be ours. The purpose of the Word of God taking on the form
of flesh and living among us as Christ Jesus, was to save our soul.
I Timothy 4:10 "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those that believe." The name Jesus means Jehovah
Saviour. Jesus did not come for those who were not sinners. He came to
save the lost. Paul felt that he was chief among sinners, because he
had persecuted the Christians. Jesus forgave him of that, and sent him
forth to win the lost.
I Timothy 1:16 "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in
me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a
pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting."
Paul is saying, if Christ can forgive me of that, you know he
will forgive you of your sin. Paul thinks that others will be more apt
to receive their forgiveness from Jesus, if they realize what Jesus
has forgiven Paul. The love of God endures forever. He is not willing
that even one would be lost. The only requirement to receive life
eternal is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I Timothy 1:17 "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Jesus is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is the Eternal One.
He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. The true meaning of
immortal is undecaying. Immortal is always the same forever.
Invisible, here, means something not seen with mortal eyes. He is
Wisdom to the utmost. This is praise from Paul to God the Father and
Jesus for all that they are, as well as what they have done for him.
This glory and honor will never be diminished. Amen, means, so be it.
I Timothy 1:18 "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy,
according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by
them mightest war a good warfare;"
Paul has told Timothy all of this to encourage him in his
ministry. He is giving to Timothy the care of the church at Ephesus.
Paul felt that Timothy was called of God for this very purpose. He is
actually putting Timothy as an overseer of the church at Ephesus so
that they will not stray into false doctrine. Paul had tutored Timothy
and he felt sure of his ability to minister. He felt sure that Timothy
was a capable soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that there
had been prophecies in the church about the ministry Timothy has been
called to. Paul knows that Timothy will prevail over the false
teaching. He will be fully ready for spiritual warfare, because of his
training from Paul and by the Holy Spirit.
I Timothy 1:19 "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some
having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:"
Paul knew that Timothy had been well trained in the Scriptures,
and that he was baptized in the Holy Spirit of God. He believed
Timothy would fight the good fight of faith. Faith and a good
conscience go hand in hand. Fear does not please God, and does not
bring a clear conscience. To doubt brings disaster. Paul knew Timothy
would remain faithful. His conscience would be clear knowing that he
had done his best.
I Timothy 1:20 "Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have
delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."
Hymenaeus and Alexander were the ones who were shipwrecked. They
had doubted and even blasphemed God. They were, possibly, the two who
had brought in a false doctrine concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
Perhaps, they had set a day, and when it did not occur on that day,
they started to doubt and even blasphemed. Paul means by turning them
over to Satan, that he could do all sorts of evil things to them short
of death. The problems that came to them as a result of that could
cause them to repent and save their souls.
1 Timothy 2 Questions
1. The law is good, if a man use it ____________.
2. Who is the law made for?
3. The law is given to protect the _____________.
4. Why were the over 600 laws and ordinances given by God to man?
5. What kind of laws do these cover?
6. The author would call these the _________ for ________.
7. What law is there against righteous living?
8. What is the penalty for sin?
9. Name some of the sins mentioned specifically.
10. How is the only way to avoid the penalty for our sin?
11. What is meant by "sound doctrine"?
12. What is the "glorious gospel"?
13. Whose message did Paul bring?
14. Who, or what, did Paul credit with his being a minister?
15. Why did Jesus bother with Paul?
16. What description of himself did Paul give about his life before
Jesus?
17. Paul obtained ________.
18. How were we like Paul?
19. What must we become, after we are saved?
20. What is "grace"?
21. Quote Ephesians chapter 2 verse 5.
22. What did Paul call himself in verse 15?
23. Jesus is Saviour of ____________.
24. What does the name Jesus mean?
25. What caused Paul to think that he was chief among sinners?
26. What did Paul believe would make others believe they could receive
salvation?
27. How does Paul describe God in verse 17?
28. Who is King?
29. Who did Paul call Timothy in verse 18?
30. What made Paul believe that Timothy would fight the good fight?
31. What two things, in verse 19, did Paul say Timothy had?
32. Who had Paul delivered to Satan?